Khaps set up unit to keep an eye on village girls

Khap panchayats of Haryana have got together and set up a secret unit that will keep an eye on girls from villages who attend colleges in the nearest cities and towns.

Sources said the decision was taken in the hope that it would check same gotra marriages. Khaps or caste panchayats are against same gotra marriages, which according to them bring dishonour to the community, and openly aid and abet killing of couples who go against this diktat.

Confirming the move, Om Prakash Dhankhar, chief of the Dhankhar khap, said it had come to their notice that many of these girls changed out of their traditional attire — the salwar kameez — into “modern outfits” while attending classes in towns and cities.

Dhankhar also said that the khaps would demand action against owners of shops located near women’s colleges, who worked as “facilitators” and provided these girls these outfits and mobile phones on rent.

To curb honour killings in Haryana, the Barha khap panchayat of Jhajjar district on Sunday issued a diktat to bar girls of 12 villages from wearing jeans and using mobile phones.

Village sarpanch Rajesh Kumar told HT that the directive would be imposed on girls above 10 years of age. “Khaps will ensure that the ban is implemented in private schools, colleges and other places girls visit,” he said. The diktat will be for the women staff of schools and colleges as well.

Panipat honour killing: victim strangled

Panipat: Three members of a family arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing 19-year-old Meenakshi at Bhapoli village, 20 km from here, told investigators that the victim was strangled to death before midnight at their house. Those arrested were the victim’s father and brothers. Bali Singh, DSP Samalkha, told HT on Wednesday that during the police interrogation, all three had confessed that they were upset over the inter-caste marriage of Meenakshi.